


Empress on the Throne

by DeputyScisaac



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Divergent, Emperor Lotor (Voltron), Empress Keith, F/F, Fluff, Keith is a Tease (Voltron), Keitor, M/M, Post-War, lokei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24263536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeputyScisaac/pseuds/DeputyScisaac
Summary: Lotor has too many duties as emperor, so when he has to leave central command to talk to the planets Zarkon enslaved, he leaves A reluctant Keith in charge of the Empire.Keith freaks out at the responsibility but does his best, but Lotor better watch out. Keith has a surprise waiting for him once he comes home.
Relationships: Acxa & Keith (Voltron), Acxa/Ezor/Zethrid (Voltron), Ezor/Zethrid (Voltron), Keith/Lotor (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 141





	Empress on the Throne

_"I need you to take care of everything while I'm gone."_

Keith walked past the throne room and felt a pang in his chest. Even though Lotor spent very little time sitting on the throne, the room reminded Keith of him. Lotor was always so passionate about the matters of the Empire, spending days at a time buried in mounds of paperwork, taking "breaks" only to attend a meeting with fleet captains. Keith told his emperor boyfriend often that he overworked himself, but Lotor continued anyway.

  
Keith loved Lotor for how much he cared for his people, those under the Empire's protection included. He perhaps cared too much. The exhaustion and stress would kill him someday, and it would be because he cared too much.

_"Take care of everything? I can't! You do everything. I can't do it as well as you can."_

  
_So maybe Keith was panicking a little, but he wasn’t royalty, he wasn't raised in a kingdom, he didn't know what was supposed to be done or how it was supposed to be handled. Lotor did._

  
_Lotor raised a gentle hand to Keith's cheek. "You do know. You are the most observant person I have had the pleasure of meeting, so I am very aware that you know how to handle every duty of the emperor with knowledge and poise.” His smile softened as he studied Keith’s face, sharing a look so intimate it could only be between one and his beloved. “You are a magnificent leader. You were born for it. Lead our people. I'll be back before you know it."_

  
_“Okay.”_

Keith sighed, fingers unconsciously touching his own cheek.

  
It had been quintants since Lotor left. He was traveling to a few other systems to meet with each planet's leader on behalf of the Empire, in hopes of beginning to repair the relationships destroyed under Zarkon's rule.

  
Each situation was delicate, and it was impossible to predict how long Lotor would take on each planet. They couldn’t know how many would take advantage of the opportunity and attack the new galra emperor.

  
Keith worried, so he depended on each line of communication that Lotor sent. Lotor usually was able to connect the video so Keith could see for his own eyes that his emperor was safe.

  
His emperor?

  
His boyfriend?

  
His partner?

  
Whatever title their relationship had, Keith had never felt for anyone how he felt for Lotor. If Lotor trusted Keith with his people, Keith would do his best not to let him down.

  
So Keith had attended every meeting with galra citizens and fleet captains. He sat for hours with paperwork, sitting at the small desk in the throne room with a galra translator so Keith could understand the documents and learn galra. Each night he would take his new files translated into English and he would sit at the desk in Lotor’s office, which was in the emperor's chambers.

  
Keith stayed up with the files until he collapsed from exhaustion, sometimes not even making it to the bed. Keith wasn't against that, though, because sleeping in the bed of the emperor without the emperor was too weird, too painful. So Keith worked until his exhausted brain couldn’t overthink as he collapsed into Lotor's side of the oversized bed.

_Lotor's fingers ghosted over Keith, touching his cheek, jaw, collarbone, shoulder, and all the way back. Keith's soft smile was barely visible over the abundant fluffy pillows Lotor had stubbornly convinced Keith they keep in the bed. The bed could easily fit five people in it, so Keith had allowed the ridiculous amount of bedding if only for the extra space Keith could pile the unnecessary pieces._

_  
"I could not have found a more beautiful empress," Lotor purred, breaking the silence of the morning._

_  
Keith opened his eyes just so he could roll them at Lotor. "Stop. I'm not an empress."_

_  
"You, Keith, are my empress. If it is my choice, I will never have you leave my side." Lotor was not deterred in the least. They had been having the same argument since they got together._

_  
"I've been galra for less than five deca-pheobs, Lotor. I don't know the history, culture, values. I can't just rule them now." Keith's sigh was full of insecurity, betraying his true feelings, feelings which Lotor could see easily._

Keith woke with his hand stretched out reaching for someone who wasn't there. The longing in his heart grew, as it had been doing now for nearly a pheob.

  
He raised his gaze to the stack of galran texts on Lotor's bedside table. They were few of many that had appeared after Keith's worry of his being clueless about galran culture and history. Now that Lotor was away, Keith was reading through all of them again. It was slower now, without Lotor to read them to Keith.

  
Keith sat up in bed and took the one on top, flipping to his bookmarked page. His finger trailed over each line as he slowly read the galran text, his mind slightly more at ease with what must have been one of his native tongues. His mother had spoken solely galran to Keith before she left, and so somewhere deep within himself, galran felt like home just like how Lotor felt like home to Keith now.

_Keith moaned softly around a bite of food the first time he had joined Lotor for a meal._   
_"This is delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like it."_

  
_His voice bled confusion. He had hated every bit of Altean food, opting for the flavorless food goo until he joined the Blade of Marmora. Any any meal he had with Coalition members after a planet’s liberation hadn’t been pleasant either._

  
_Lotor chuckled and settled his hand on Keith's thigh. "It's traditional galran cuisine. Your sense of taste must be as well," he guessed._   
_Keith hummed thoughtfully around another bite, unable to help himself. "It's like everything else I've eaten is bland somehow."_

  
_Lotor's eyebrow quirked up, his instinctual curiosity piqued. “Then we have much to explore. You look human, but how galran are you truly?"_

Apparently very galran. None of Keith's decisions were questioned, even by Lotor's close advisors and even Acxa, who spent most of her time within the "castle" space station Lotor decided was his central command.

  
"I'm impressed,” Acxa said, following him after one of the countless meetings.

  
Keith looked up at her as he pushed his hair back, not used to how long it's been as of late. "By what?"

  
"How you're handling everything. You shut down those idiot captains without a second thought, and even the paperwork is decent, if just a bit slow." Acxa smiled. "I'm happy to help with that if you want. I know it's because of translation. "

  
Keith chuckled. "Watch out for what you offer. I might accept." He wouldn't, because Lotor had asked Keith to do it, so Keith needed to know exactly what was happening (even if it was just someone's space chickens getting loose and some galra farmer was asking for retribution from the emperor).

  
"I dare you," she challenged, giving him a look far too knowing.

  
-

  
Three more pheobs passed before Lotor told Keith he was on his way home. Keith couldn’t stop the grin that crossed his face at the word "home," reassuring Keith that he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

  
He knew he had at least one movement before Lotor was back, even if he was going with full thrusters, so Keith had time to plan a welcome back surprise.

  
The problem was, Keith was awful at planning surprises.

  
A party was bad because Lotor hated parties just as much as Keith when he was exhausted. After nearly half a deca-pheob, that wouldn’t be a fun surprise.

  
Keith couldn’t exactly invite Lotor’s family. They were dead. His best friends were his generals, but Zethrid and Ezor had gone with Lotor, leaving only Acxa behind with Keith.

  
Keith was desperate enough that he asked Acxa. She then assaulted him with various sex positions popular for kinky galra couples until he hid himself away in Lotor's office with enough paperwork to last him days.

  
He was halfway through his stack-the next morning, heavy bags under his eyes, when he noticed Lotor's old suit of armor displayed in the corner.

  
Lotor had ordered that a new suit of armor be made for the peaceful trips through the universe. He hadn't wanted to display distrust and aggression by wearing heavy-duty armor. The new suit was lighter, more casual, but still enough to protect him if things went wrong.  
Lotor picked armor for him and his generals to unify them, represent them as a unit, as his unit. They were under his direct protection when they wore the same armor as Lotor. Lotor had even-shyly-suggested that Keith be made a suit of it. Keith had declined because he had his voltron suit and his Marmora suit. He hardly needed a third.

  
Keith wondered later if this had been a mistake. He didn’t want to hurt Lotor, but he didn’t want to be presumptuous of his position. He was dating the emperor. That didn’t mean that he was all of a sudden a ruler; he couldn’t have someone make armor for him specially, even if it was under Lotor’s orders.

  
Keith drummed his fingers on the desk.

  
Maybe that would work.

  
But first, Keith had to get them both caught up on the emperor's duties so they at least had a few vargas together alone before they were inevitably interrupted. He turned back to his papers and got to work.

  
-

  
Keith was pacing in the throne room, dressed in Lotor's armor, and questioning every decision he's ever made.

  
At least space armor was made one-size, so it melded to the body of whoever wore it. Keith had been worried when he first pulled the armor on, but it had shrunk to fit him perfectly, despite the drastic height difference between them.

  
Lotor had called him not long ago, saying that he was under a varga away. Keith had been ecstatic at the time, but now that he was in place, it all seemed foolish.

  
Acxa at least took pity on him from where she stood at the side door to the throne room. "Calm down. You know him better than anyone. If this is the plan you decided on, then he is going to love it."

  
Keith met her eyes, slightly calmer.

  
Acxa smirked, "Besides, if you look as good to him as Zethrid and Ezor do to me, then I doubt you'll even make it out of the room before he's having his way with you."

  
Keith's face heated. "shut up. Thats not-" but she knew them both too well. Keith knew that wearing the armor was Keith telling Lotor that Keith was his. His to love, his to protect, his to claim.

  
Lotor had been alone for too long, but Keith was telling him that Lotor would never be alone again.

  
Acxa softened. "I'll make sure the main door is locked once he comes in. I'll lock the side door to all but you two in case you actually do make it out."

  
"Thank you." Keith was almost completely relaxed now. His pacing had stopped as he stood in front of the throne he had never before sat in.

  
Acxa nodded before her communicator pinged.

  
Keith shoulders tensed.

  
"He's arrived. I'll go get him and lead him here for you. Deep breaths. You’re doing something that can only end well."

  
And she was gone, the lock on the door signaling her change of access in the settings.

  
Keith took a slow breath, then he turned and sat on Lotor's throne.

  
He hadn't let Lotor down. He led their people, he did everything required of an emperor. Lotor's confidence wasn't misplaced in Keith. No matter how bad some of Lotor's discussions had gone with planets, he came home. It was up to Keith to show Lotor he had nothing more to worry about here, in their home. He had nothing he had to handle or finish, because Keith had done it for him.

  
Lotor deserved to know that he had a break. He deserved a break. He didn’t fail his people, and Keith would make him believe it.

  
Keith straightened a bit in the throne, enough that it portrayed a sort of lazy confidence. He crossed his left leg over his right, a calm settling over him. His right hand settled on the arm of the throne as his left propped up the hand now supporting his jaw as he watched the main door.

  
His confidence didn’t waver until he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. He heard Lotor’s voice and Keith’s heartbeat thudded with excitement, the hand under his jaw twitching with a desire to push out of the chair, to touch Lotor.

  
Keith barely held himself back as Acxa threw open the door, revealing Keith’s boyfriend, partner, mate.

  
Keith felt a mischievous smile cross his face when Lotor's jaw dropped. "Thank you, Acxa," he heard himself say. She took that as her signal to push Lotor forward enough to close the door. Keith knew she locked it, but his attention was too glued onto Lotor to notice.  
Lotor strode through the length of the room, slowing only when he reached the steps to his throne.

  
"Lotor," Keith greeted, forcing himself to stay still and to not call him "emperor” He lifted his head from his hand to gesture teasingly to his mate.

  
Lotor smirked fondly, something Keith thought only Lotor himself could pull off.

  
"My empress," Lotor purred, scanning Keith's form. His eyes flickered dangerously as he fully took in the armor.

  
Keith forced himself not to squirm or twitch under the heated gaze. Heat filled his face and stomach as he registered the name.

  
He uncrossed his legs and moved his left hand to the arm rest so he could push himself to his feet.

  
Lotor was on him before he could even try to stand, his larger hands covering Keith's as Lotor leaned over him into his space, effectively trapping him.

  
Keith's breath escaped him, suffocating him and filling his lungs with desire.

  
"Stay."

  
It was growled into Keith's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. He couldn't see Lotor's face—he was too close—but Keith wasn't sure if he could have handled it anyway.

  
Lotor rumbled approvingly at Keith's reaction. "If I have my way, you won't be leaving this throne for vargas. Even then, it will be for me to take you to bed properly."

  
Keith moaned at the thought. He moved his right hand from Lotor's grasp so he could grip him by the chest plate and pull him closer. "Lotor," he breathed desperately, apparently the only word he could form in that moment.

  
Lotor's knee found its way between Keith's, shoving hard enough to push Keith up on the throne as it provided friction to Keith's core.  
Keith gasped and grasped Lotor's hair for purchase as Lotor wasted no time before biting and sucking at Keith's neck.

  
If Keith was worried before, he would never be again. He had found his confidence, his partner. And he had accepted Keith fully.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in Voltron, and it’s been at lest a year before I’ve written a fanfiction at all, so I hope this went well. I know Keitor isn’t that popular, but I love them. You can find my on insta @GreekFirecracker


End file.
